Myth Glaurach
Glaurachyndaar (formerly Myth Glaurach, the City of Scrolls) is a ruined Eaerlanni city situated on the river Starsilver, a tributary of the river Delimbiyr, in the Nether Mountains. It was a garden city with ornate buildings and white domes, built on the ruins of an Aryvandaaran city. History Myth Glaurach was built on top of the pre-existing ruins of an Aryvandaaran city whose name is presumed to be lost. The city was raided by orcs in 864 DR and sacked. The daemonfey of House Dlardrageth moved into the ruins of the ancient city after being freed from their magical prison beneath Nar Kerymhoarth. Sarya Dlardrageth found the mythal stone of the city buried in a deep pit to protect it from attackers, and she used the magic of the stone to summon demons that could remain permanently in Faerûn. Araevin Teshurr subsequently restored the mythal and altered it in such a way that it can now withstand fiendish intervention. Locations There are a number of portals beneath the grand mage's palace. Mythal In its original state, the mythal barred all fiends and anyone who had ever eaten the flesh of elves, dwarves or humans, but this was destroyed by Sarya Dlardrageth and remains so. Other aspects of the mythal still function. It is not possible to cast acid, conjuration, death, evil, or fire spells within the mythal, and spells that calm animals and prevent weed growth are active. Myth Glaurach’s mythal was raised in the Year of the Turning Leaf (590 DR) over the Eaerlanni city of Glaurachyndaar, known in that era as the City of Scrolls. 5 Elven and human wizards from Ascalhorn, Eaerlann, Evereska, Silverymoon, and Myth Drannor participated in the casting, employing a variant of Mythanthar’s create mythal spell based in part on the earlier work of Mythanthar. 6 Major participants in the raising of the mythal were Ecamane Truesilver, Khelben Arunsun, Tisharu Craulnober, and Tellshyll the Aged. 7 Myth Glaurach was intended to be the first of three allied cities wrapped in myth, but planned wizardly mythals over Ascalhorn and Silverymoon were never raised. 8 Myth Glaurach was overrun by the Nethertusk Horde in the Year of the Broken Branch (864 DR), just eighteen years after its defenders easily repulsed the much larger Bloodfang Horde. For generations, military historians have debated the factors behind this tragedy, but most scholars agree that King Malraug of the Nether Peaks, a venerable orc of tremendous cunning, simply outwitted the overconfident commanders of Myth Glaurach’s military on his second attempt to overrun its defenses. A surprising explanation for the fall of Myth Glaurach is revealed in the journal of an orc shaman from that era, a little-known volume entitled Life with Tusks found in the Herald’s Holdfast. According to that account, Myth Glaurach was warded against any being that had consumed the flesh of men, a rite of passage to become a warrior in most orc tribes of the region. After the decimation of the Bloodfang Horde, the one-eyed god of the orcs revealed the cause of their failure to his surviving shamans in the region. After they informed their liege of their collective vision, Malraug then banned an entire generation of orcs from consuming the flesh of their hated foes. The orcs’ patience was rewarded nearly two decades later, when the Myth Glaurach’s mythal provided no impediment to the Nethertusk Horde. If this account can be believed, it might well explain why several adventuring bands have found sanctuary among the ruins of Myth Glaurach from the demons of Hellgate Keep and their packs of ravenous ghouls. 9 Other properties of Myth Glaurach’s mythal have been lost, forgotten, or corrupted by decay, although those that survive have permitted the inhabitants of Hellgate Keep and certain daring adventurers to work powerful incantations and to replenish magic they carry. Although Myth Glaurach is largely forgotten except among the Fair Folk, its historical importance far exceeds that which the Keeper attributes to it, and the ruins of this ancient city still contain some of the greatest treasures of the elven realm of Eaerlann. Other treasures were plundered by the demons of Hellgate Keep and may yet lie within the ruins of neighboring Ascalhorn. In those few tales that do speak of the City of Scrolls, mention is made of Delimbiyra’s Shining Bow, the Dragontear Crown of Sharrven, and the Shattered Staff of Starsongs, none of which have ever been recovered. The mythal that envelops the ruined city of Myth Glaurach is a wizardly mythal that has lasted for over 700 years and should last for nearly 400 more, albeit in increasingly corrupted form. At the time of its creation, Myth Glaurach’s mythal was imbued with 5 major powers and 19 minor powers. Approximately 500 hit points were drained during the creation of Myth Glaurach’s mythal, so the mythal remained whole and healthy for over five centuries. In the past three centuries, the mythal has lost 1 major power and 7 minor powers. 2 of the remaining major powers have become corrupt, as have 7 of the minor powers. As implied previously, the central caster of the variant of Mythanthar’s create mythal spell in this instance was Tisharu Craulnober. She imbued one major and one minor power into the mythal. Four secondary casters participated in the raising of Myth Glaurach’s mythal, including Aelynthi of the Eagles, a female moon elf of Eaerlanni ancestry and Clan Archmage of House Alenuath, Isinghar "Feyrune" Ironstar, a dwelf runecarver and archmage of Ammarindar, the Nameless Chosen (see above), and Tsaer "the Horned" Nyamtharsar, a male moon elf of Eaerlanni ancestry and Clan Archmage of House Nyamtharsar. Each added one major power to the mythal. Six tertiary casters also participated in the raising of Myth Glaurach’s mythal, including Caerthynna of the Swirling Stones, a female moon elf of Eaerlanni ancestry and noted creator of ioun stones, Durngrym, an itinerant human male incantatar, Ecamane Truesilver, a human male who later became the first High Mage of Silverymoon, Jaluster of Ascalhorn, a human male archmage whose orizon later survived the fall of Hellgate Keep, Nyaalsir the Stareye, a male moon elf of Eaerlanni ancestry, and Symrustar Auglamyr, a Cormanthan gold elf female and Chosen of Mystra. Each added three minor powers to the mythal. (The Keeper’s incomplete and somewhat incorrect list of participants reflects both the natural bias of scholars of the Vault of Sages towards major figures in Silverymoon’s history and the natural distortion of the historical record over time. As Khelben has taken great pains to keep his identity as the Nameless Chosen distinct from his current guise, the Keeper’s inclusion of him in the list of the creators of Myth Glaurach’s mythal is purely happenstance.) As most demons, ghouls, orcs, and trolls have consumed the flesh of dwarves, elves, or humans, the first major power of Myth Glaurach’s mythal described below makes these ruins a reasonable safehold for adventuring bands active in the Upvale. However, this property of the mythal was discovered by the rulers of Hellgate Keep before its fall and is known to most of the surviving fiends. They developed the tactic of keeping one or more packs of newly created ghouls in reserve that had never consumed human or demihuman flesh. These packs were then used to drive opponents from the mythal’s confines, at which point the demons could destroy them at their leisure. In addition, a handful of cambion and alu-demon sorcerers based in Hellgate Keep voluntarily abstained the taste of human and demihuman flesh so that they could take advantage of the mythal’s augmentations of the Art. 10 As presently constituted, the mythal that envelops Myth Glaurach has the following 4 major powers, 2 of which have been corrupted: 1) The mythal bars the entrance of any being that has knowingly and deliberately consumed elven, human, or dwarven flesh at any time in the past from above, below, or at ground level. The mythal acts as an effective magical barrier as solid as a mountain of stone against their entry. Anyone doing so for the first time within the city’s confines or anyone who manages to enter by unknown means suffers an automatic 1d8 hit points of damage as the mythal crackles around them and then randomly teleports more than five hundred miles from the High Forest. In addition, the mythal has a calming effect on creatures of Animal or Semi intelligence (i.e. Intelligence scores in the range of 1 to 4). Animals will not attack other creatures while within the mythal’s confines, no matter how hungry, unless attacked or specifically trained to do so and ordered by their masters. This property of the mythal ensured the safety of the numerous animal companions, familiars, and other pets that made Myth Glaurach home. To date, this power of the mythal remains uncorrupted. 2) At one time, the mythal wrapped all spellcasters in a mantle of up to three spells of their choosing. As the spellcaster entered the mythal, up to three spells of his choosing would be drawn from memory to form the mantle, although they could be subsequently rememorized if desired and no spell slots were consumed in the process. The spells contained within the mantle could then be triggered by silent act of will with a casting time of 1 once per twenty-four hour period for as long as the spellcaster remained within the mythal. This power of the mythal no longer functions as originally intended and has become corrupted. Now, any spellcaster entering the mythal loses three spells from memory and the effects of those spells are visited upon the caster and possibly his immediate environs. (If less than three spells are currently memorized, than all memorized spells will be lost.) For example, touch spells act as if the spellcaster was the intended target. Spells with general areas of effect are unleashed centered on the caster. A spell such as magic jar (a 5th level wizard spell) places the spellcaster’s life force in a gem somewhere within the mythal. The exact effect of any random spell unleashed in this process is left up to the DM to adjudicate. 3) While within the confines of the mythal, a spellcaster need not rememorize wizard spells. Wizard spells return to memory exactly twenty-four hours after being cast, if the spell was cast or otherwise lost while the spellcaster was within the mythal’s confines and if the spellcaster has not exited the mythal since casting the spell. Of course a spellcaster can rememorize wizard spells if desired and must do so in order to change a spell in the roster of memorized spells. Priest spells, magic items, and innate spell-like abilities are unaffected by this power of the mythal. To date, this power of the mythal remains uncorrupted. 4) At one time, Myth Glaurach’s mythal enhanced the elven ability to enter the reverie. (The reverie is a state akin to dreaming experienced only by elves, as described in the Complete Book of Elves, p. 34.) If desired, any full-blooded elf entering the reverie while within the mythal’s confines could voluntarily control which memories rise to the fore to be vividly relived. Many Teu’Tel’Quessir used this property of the mythal in the twilight of their lives to aid in the recording of their past experiences, a practice that greatly enhanced the fabled libraries of Myth Glaurach. This power of the mythal no longer functions as originally intended and has become corrupted. Now, any being with even a trace of elven ancestry is wracked by horrific nightmares if they enter the reverie or go to sleep while within the mythal’s confines. Most such nightmares revolve around the destruction of Myth Glaurach, as the dreamer relives the horrors experienced by of one of the elves slain during the sacking of the city. Upon waking from such nightmares, a being affected by this power of the mythal is automatically affected by a fear spell (as the 4th level wizard spell) with no saving throw allowed. There is a 10% chance per night however, that while experiencing the nightmarish visions, a being of elven ancestry will glean some tidbit of ancient lore regarding the city at the time it was sacked, as adjudicated by the DM. As presently constituted, the mythal that envelops Myth Glaurach has the following 12 minor powers, 7 of which have been corrupted and many of which require an understanding of one of the mythal’s secret properties to employ. 1) At one time, any unmounted gemstone within Myth Glaurach’s mythal could be placed in orbit around a being’s head, and, by doing so, a being could draw on the innate, latent magical properties inherent in most, if not all, kinds of gemstones in a manner akin to employing an ioun stone. This power no longer functions as originally intended, as the mythal’s decay has corrupted this power into a dangerous magical effect. Any gemstone within the boundaries of the mythal has a 1% cumulative chance per day of randomly unleashing an innate, latent magical property. (Once unleashed, the chance of a spell eruption for any particular gem begins again at 0%.) For example, if a ravenar (a type of tourmaline) is caught within a spell effect within the mythal’s confines, there is a chance it will ‘drink’ the spell effect and erupt with three 6d6 lightning bolts in random directions. See Volo’s Guide to All Things Magical, pp. 34-54, for a compendium of the innate magical properties associated with different varieties of gems. The exact effect of the mythal on each type of gemstone is left up to the DM to determine. At the DM’s option, gems fashioned into magic items, such as a gem of insight, a jewel of flawlessness, or the gems of a helm of brilliance, are immune to this corrupted power of the mythal. 2) Any being that knows the secret can use the mythal to provide a metamagical boost to a single spell, innate ability, spell-like effect created within the mythal. This boost in effectiveness is equivalent in effect to one of the following spells (or their reverses), as determined by the being unleashing the base effect: augmentation II, dilation II, extension III, or far reaching III. For example, a wizard casting a fireball or triggering a wand of fire might use this power of the mythal to add a point of damage to each die (i.e. augmentation II), extend the area of effect by 50% (i.e. dilation II), double the duration (i.e. extension III), or extend the range by 150% (i.e. far reaching III). It is not possible by means of this power to affect a spell, innate ability, or spell-like effect cast or triggered by another being, nor is it possible to boost the power of a magical effect if it is of too high a level to be affected by the above-mentioned metamagic spells. To date, this power of the mythal remains uncorrupted. 3) At will, any being that knows the secret can direct the mythal to recharge a magical item with charges in a fashion identical to that of Myth Drannor’s mythal. See Cormanthyr: Empire of Elves, p. 146, for further details on this power of the mythal, which, to date, remains uncorrupted. 4) At one time, any being knowing the secret within Myth Glaurach’s mythal could adjust the effective ambient temperature and humidity they experienced as desired. This power no longer functions as originally intended. The mythal’s decay has corrupted this power so that the ruins now randomly experience wild swings of temperature and humidity independent of the weather outside the mythal’s confines. Thus while Myth Glaurach’s environment may, by chance, match the outside world, it is just as likely to be dry and freezing within on a rainy summer day in the outside world as it is to match the sweltering environment of a southern jungle on a bitterly cold and snowy day in the outside world. 5) At one time, any female cat impregnated within Myth Glaurach’s mythal had a 10% chance of giving birth to a litter of elven cats. This power no longer functions as originally intended. The mythal’s decay has corrupted this power so that any feline slain within its confines will arise as a free-willed crypt cat, and several dozen undead felines (most of the "normal" variety) now stalk the ruins, attacking all living things they encounter. See the Monstrous Compendium Annual: Volume 2, p. 26, for details on crypt cats. 6) At one time, anyone capable of casting wizard spells could read magical writings as if under the effects of a read magic spell while within the mythal’s confines. This power no longer functions as originally intended. The mythal’s decay has corrupted this power so that all magical and nonmagical writings are cloaked with a confuse languages spell (as the reverse of the 1st level wizard spell comprehend languages) for as long as they remain within the mythal’s confines. This effect can be temporarily negated by means of a comprehend languages spell or similar spell or spell-like effect. However, there is a 25% chance that any writing made readable by such means erupts with all of the effects of an explosive runes spell (as the 3rd level wizard spell) when read. 7) Any being that knows the secret can use the mythal to seal a wholly enclosed structure within against scrying and teleportation. By means of this power, all manner of magical or psionic divination into an enclosed space can be blocked. Similarly, all manner of magical or psionic transportation into an enclosed space can be blocked. If any means of entering a structure exists, whether it be an open window, an open door, or a hole of any size in the wall of an otherwise enclosed structure, this power of the mythal will not function. An aperture is considered sealed if any form of material wholly blocks it, whether it is a wooden door, a glass window, a piece of cloth, or a magically created wall of iron. Gases and force fields do not constitute sealing an opening, so a wall of force or a wall of fire would not suffice to block and aperture. Examples of closed structures might range from a sealed subterranean chamber, to a cloth tent with the flaps tied shut, to Daern’s instant fortress. To date, this power of the mythal remains uncorrupted. However, the ruined city retains few wholly enclosed structures, making this power far less useful than it once was. 8) Any being that knows the secret can use the mythal to project image (as the 6th level wizard spell) at will. Only one projected image can be maintained at any given time, and a projected image can range anywhere within boundaries of the mythal as long as it remains within sight of its creator. To date, this power of the mythal remains uncorrupted. 9) At one time, anyone who knew the secret could cause the mythal to provide appropriate musical accompaniment to any lyrics sung or any tune played on a musical instrument. This power no longer functions as originally intended. The mythal’s decay has corrupted this power so that all music created within the mythal is shadowed by a discordant echo. (Music created outside the mythal’s confines but within hearing distance of those within the mythal is unaffected.) The resulting cacophony steadily increases in volume for as long as the music continues until it entirely drowns out the original composition. Even after the music stops, the discordant echoes persist for 3d10 rounds, gradually tapering off in volume. As the music appears to emanate from the location within the mythal where the music was played, it triples the chance of attracting wandering monsters. (The base chance of attracting wandering monsters is left to the DM to determine as appropriate for the campaign.) In addition, this corrupted power disrupts all magic with a musical component unleashed within the mythal’s confines. Spells that employ music as a material component, including spellsongs, a rare form of magic employed almost exclusively by a handful of elves, function as if within a wild magic zone if cast while within the mythal’s confines. Likewise, the spell-like effects of enchanted musical instruments are also affected as if within a wild magic zone if employed within the mythal’s confines. 10) At one time, anyone who knew the secret could cause the mythal to cloak them with the effects of an ironguard spell (as the 5th level wizard spell) at will. This power no longer functions as originally intended. The mythal’s decay has corrupted this power so that metal weapons employed within the mythal’s confines are unaffected by magical adjustments to Armor Class. For example, a cloak of protection or bracers of defense provide no protection against metal weapons, and magical armor and shields are considered nonmagical for purposes of determining Armor Class against attacks with metal weapons. Weapons that include both metal and nonmetal components are similarly unhindered by magical protections if the metal component of the weapon inflicts the actual damage. 11) Any spellcaster capable of casting wizard spells and who knows the secret can use the mythal to cast legend lore (as the 6th level wizard spell) at most once per twenty-four hour period. In cases where a legend lore spell takes more than twenty-four hours to cast, only one legend lore spell can be in progress at any give time. To date, this power of the mythal remains uncorrupted. 12) At one time, anyone who knew the secret could cause the mythal to fashion a shimmering swordlike plane of force (equivalent to the effect of a Mordenkainen’s sword, a 7th level wizard spell, but with unlimited duration as long as concentration was maintained) at will. This power no longer functions as originally intended. The mythal’s decay has corrupted this power so that if any spell from the wizard school of force is cast within the mythal’s confines, it will automatically fail. Instead, a Mordenkainen’s sword will appear and immediately attack the caster. The shimmering swordlike plane of force will continue its attack for as long as the caster remains within the confines of the mythal or until a successful dispel magic (treat as if it were cast by a 18th level caster) is used to destroy it. Category:Settlements with mythals Category:Ruined settlements Category:Elven settlements Category:Settlements in the High Forest Category:Settlements in Aryvandaar